Bioshock 1 vs. 2

[tviceman]

I just started up Bioshock 2 for the first time, and so far I'm really, really disappointed in the game. It seems sloppy and thrown together. I was expecting "more of the same" and while it's mostly that, the level structure and story are, IMO, inferior to Bioshock 1, and little atmospheric things like the vending machine sounds are absent.

Anyone else feel the same way? Is Bioshock 2 actually worse than my expectations of "more of the same?"


???

 

[CPA]

I loved BS2 and I've played BS1, as well. Not sure what you mean about the atmospheric sounds not being there, they were for me.

 

[zagood]

Vending machine sounds? Might be a sound card issue. Check to make sure you don't have your speakers set to 5.1 or some other setting that you don't have the speakers for.

The story gets better as you go along. There's some pretty good level structure later as well. I did like 1 better, but 2 has some game mechanics that just seemed a little more intuitive.

 

[Dumac]

I liked 2 better than 1, mostly because the plot of 1 was rehashed.

Plus in two you get a drill. I love drills.

 

[VampyrByte]

I guess its got a bit of sequel syndrome. It has to be far better than its predecessor just to appear half as good. I don't think it lived up to it personally. I played Bioshock through on every platform just for the hell of it. Bioshock 2 I havnt been compelled to pick it back up for another go. Not even the multi player. It lacks a bit of charm the first one had, its been done before.

 

[Qbah]

I really enjoyed it. For me BS1 was a blatant copy of System Shock 2 and I mean it in a bad way - not influenced, just pretty much ripped of. Plus in BS2 you had a drill! I was using the dash all the time, especially in the middle-to-late part. So much fun! I found the game in general really fun and the story OK. Got it on some crazy Steam sale way back (was like 5€ or something). Once the SP DLC is out, I'm planning to get it and play it too.

 

[Attic]

I thought BS1 > BS2.

Really enjoyed BS1.

 

[NoSoup4You]

Bioshock 1 was an all-tiime classic, Bioshock 2 was instantly forgettable despite having better gameplay overall. The story was so painfully boring in 2.

 

[AlgaeEater]

Most of the people who didn't like Bioshock 2 (like me) were people who had already played Bioshock.

I don't think Bioshock 2 was a bad game overall - it was just too much of the same core game as Bioshock. As others have mentioned - it felt more like a glorified DLC or expansion pack than a sequel. The story wrapped up nicely in Bioshock as well, so revisiting Rapture again felt forced story-wise.

 

[Sulaco]

Vending machine sounds? Might be a sound card issue. Check to make sure you don't have your speakers set to 5.1 or some other setting that you don't have the speakers for.

He's talking about the "Welcome to the Circus of Values!" and "Ammo Bandito!" greeting sounds, among others, when first selecting the vending machines, which were in the first game but inexplicably left out of the sequel.

 

[Dumac]

Most of the people who didn't like Bioshock 2 (like me) were people who had already played Bioshock.

I don't think Bioshock 2 was a bad game overall - it was just too much of the same core game as Bioshock. As others have mentioned - it felt more like a glorified DLC or expansion pack than a sequel. The story wrapped up nicely in Bioshock as well, so revisiting Rapture again felt forced story-wise.

I played Bioshock first during release, but was underwhelmed due to having already played System Shock 2.

I enjoyed Bioshock 2 more than 1 simply because the story wasn't a rehashfest.

Plus, drills.

 

[Dumac]

Bioshock 1 was an all-tiime classic

Definately not

Bioshock 2 isn't one either.

 

[Sulaco]

I played Bioshock first during release, but was underwhelmed due to having already played System Shock 2.

I enjoyed Bioshock 2 more than 1 simply because the story wasn't a rehashfest.

Plus, drills.

I played System Shock 2 as well. I don't quite get some of the SS2 snobbery towards Bioshock. Not saying you have that, but I've come across a number of old SS2 players who are dismissive of Bioshock because, supposedly, of SS2.

Personally, I loved Bioshock for its incredible atmosphere. Exploring Rapture was my number one motivation. It really was cinematically immersive like few games are or even try to be these days.
Plus, the gameplay/combat with the plasmids combined with the traditional weaponry, really gorgeous graphics, and great storytelling made it a great game.

Yeah, it took alot blatantly from SS2, and wasn't as deep in many ways, but I don't need a game to constantly reinvent the wheel if its fundamentals are good, while it creates its own niche.

 

[Dumac]

I played System Shock 2 as well. I don't quite get some of the SS2 snobbery towards Bioshock. Not saying you have that, but I've come across a number of old SS2 players who are dismissive of Bioshock because, supposedly, of SS2.

Personally, I loved Bioshock for its incredible atmosphere. Exploring Rapture was my number one motivation. It really was cinematically immersive like few games are or even try to be these days.
Plus, the gameplay/combat with the plasmids combined with the traditional weaponry, really gorgeous graphics, and great storytelling made it a great game.

Yeah, it took alot blatantly from SS2, and wasn't as deep in many ways, but I don't need a game to constantly reinvent the wheel if its fundamentals are good, while it creates its own niche.

I don't think Bioshock 1 is a terrible game, but I wasn't that thrilled with it. The story was almost a complex copy from SS2, and that is something that should be created as freshly as possible.

The gameplay fundamentals were mostly copied, but also simplified to a disappointing state.

Bioshock 2 had better gameplay just by a tad, and the story wasn't as familiar to me.

Again, both are decent games, and not very far apart in my opinion.

 

[Rezident]

While BS1 was like a remake of SS2, I still thought it was incredible, loved it. I didn't think the story from BS2 was as good but the gameplay I probably preferred. They had finetuned some fo the plasmids (and the drill of course was great). I remember not leaving areas, just staying there, setting up loads of cyclone traps (and cyclone fire traps, and cyclone ice traps etc.) and having great fun experimenting with the different plasmids.

 

[tviceman]

He's talking about the "Welcome to the Circus of Values!" and "Ammo Bandito!" greeting sounds, among others, when first selecting the vending machines, which were in the first game but inexplicably left out of the sequel.

Yeah those sounds. I miss those sounds. Oh well.

Well I've continued to play Bioshock 2, just got incinerate and killed (for the first time) a big sister... it's okay I guess, but I feel like 1 had the better gameplay. I'm enjoying it now, at least, so I'll play through and see how I feel after I beat it.

 

[Corporate Thug]

I liked 2 better than 1, mostly because the plot of 1 was rehashed.

Plus in two you get a drill. I love drills.

this.

 

[digitaldurandal]

bioshock 2...

Introduced the same bugs for widescreen that bioshock 1 had in the beginning - yay for learning from our mistakes.

Worked terribly with eyefinity.

Used the same graphics from bioshock 1, including most of the enemies, corridors... everything. I don't think they even upgraded the engine at all.

Gameplay seems to be more of the same - the lack of any penalty for death makes the any challenge in the game just monotonous period. Turning the respawns off makes the game way too difficult on anything but the easier modes.

Uses MSLIVE.

Bioshock 1,

Was pretty original. Looked good for its time. Had a good balance of gameplay and settings.

Bioshock 2 is definitely an inferior game comparatively.

 

[ahurtt]

Aw man don't tell me this...I bought it on Steam during the holiday sale and was getting excited to install it as soon as I finish building my new system which should be finished next week or so (current system isn't beefy enough for many of the things I got on Steam holiday sale LOL) ... Well at least I got it dirt cheap.

 

[MentalIlness]

Aw man don't tell me this...I bought it on Steam during the holiday sale and was getting excited to install it as soon as I finish building my new system which should be finished next week or so (current system isn't beefy enough for many of the things I got on Steam holiday sale LOL) ... Well at least I got it dirt cheap.

This is just opinions. But play them dude. I have played Bio 1 and Bio 2 a few times each and finished them.

They are not bad games at all. It's just that people expect way too much out of games these days.

With that said, they are still very good games. Play them. You'll like them more than you think you will.

 

[Sulaco]

Aw man don't tell me this...I bought it on Steam during the holiday sale and was getting excited to install it as soon as I finish building my new system which should be finished next week or so (current system isn't beefy enough for many of the things I got on Steam holiday sale LOL) ... Well at least I got it dirt cheap.

http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/bioshock/critic-reviews

http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/bioshock

Feel better?

 

[ahurtt]

This is just opinions. But play them dude. I have played Bio 1 and Bio 2 a few times each and finished them.

They are not bad games at all. It's just that people expect way too much out of games these days.

With that said, they are still very good games. Play them. You'll like them more than you think you will.

Thanks, I've already played thru Bioshock 1 quite a while back and I really liked it a lot. But at the time it came out my current system was already old enough it was feeling the strain and I didn't feel like it did the game full justice so I'll look forward to replaying it again when I finish the new build. I didn't want to even bother starting Bioshock 2 until that time.

 

[ahurtt]

http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/bioshock/critic-reviews

http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/bioshock

Feel better?

Well yeah I loved Bioshock 1 which is why I jumped on Bioshock 2 during the Steam holiday sale. But people here seem to be saying 2 was a letdown compared to 1.

 

[Sulaco]

Well yeah I loved Bioshock 1 which is why I jumped on Bioshock 2 during the Steam holiday sale. But people here seem to be saying 2 was a letdown compared to 1.

Well yeah, but only because its just more of the same.

So basically, if you loved the first game, the sequel will probably not quite live up to what made you enjoy the first game so much, but you're not exactly going to hate it either. It's just likely to not feel as fresh this time around.

 

[thujone]

i bought the collector's edition of bs2 for $20 during black friday this year... mostly just for the record and book.


can't really get into the game at all unfortunately.